Eumenides

Books

• Prologue at Delphi

  The Pythia opens Apollo's temple at Delphi and recoils in horror: Orestes sits at the altar, surrounded by sleeping Furies, dripping with blood.

  142 lines
• Apollo and Orestes

  Apollo promises Orestes protection and sends him to Athens to be tried by Athena. The ghost of Clytemnestra appears and rouses the sleeping Furies.

  32 lines
• Parodos

  The Furies awaken and discover Orestes has fled. They rage against Apollo for sheltering a matricide and set out in pursuit.

  120 lines
• First Stasimon

  The Furies sing of their ancient prerogatives — they are older than the Olympians, and their function is to punish those who shed kindred blood.

  104 lines
• Orestes at Athens

  Orestes arrives at Athena's temple on the Acropolis and embraces her statue as a suppliant. The Furies close in around him.

  93 lines
• The Binding Song

  The Furies perform their terrifying binding hymn over Orestes, claiming his blood and his sanity. Their song is the oldest law: blood demands blood.

  76 lines
• Athena Intervenes

  Athena arrives and hears both sides. She declines to judge alone — the matter is too grave — and establishes a jury of Athenian citizens.

  212 lines
• Second Stasimon

  The Furies warn that if they are dishonoured, the moral order will collapse. Without fear of punishment, humans will commit any atrocity.

  110 lines
• The Trial

  Apollo argues that the father is the true parent and the mother merely a vessel. The Furies argue the sanctity of blood-kinship. The jury votes.

  24 lines
• The Verdict

  The votes are tied. Athena casts the deciding ballot for acquittal — mercy tempers justice. Orestes is freed from the curse.

  103 lines
• The Furies' Rage

  The Furies threaten to blight Athens in revenge for their humiliation. Athena offers them a new role: honoured protectors of the city.

  11 lines
• Exodos

  The Furies accept and become the Eumenides — the Kindly Ones. A torchlit procession escorts them to their new shrine beneath the Areopagus. Justice and mercy are reconciled.

  14 lines